News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-03-24


the undergrowth to point twenty rods
from the path. There, in an open space
not more than twenty feet square, with
a thicket on three sides, found the
body. Decomposition had set in, of
course, and the odor greeted my nostrils
before my eyes made the discovery.
hat a murder had been committed
there could be no doubt. The gIrl lay
on her back, her feet drawn up, her
clothing badly torn and in disorder, and
while one hand clenched a stout stick,
he other had a dying clutch on a coat
button-just a match for those left on
VIII Grafton's coat She had been
chOked to death and was horrible sight,
her eyes wide open, her tongue out, and
a look of agony on her bloated face. Tex
amined the finger nails and found blood
and flesh under them, left there as she
clawed the half idiots face and hand.
On the ground was tobacco box, Nhich
he afterward identified d boldly
claimed. A murder had been commit
ted, and had discovered the murderer;
but / was not as enthusiastic over it as
you may have imagined He was the
son of millionaire, and the father
would spend the last dollar to save the
son. Riches control public opinion and,
in some instances, the verdict of juries.
After an examination lasting aquarter
of an hour, and having carefully gath
cred and preserved all possible proofs, l
set out to bring the Coroner and a jury
had evidence enough to warrant me in
arresting Will Grafton at once, but felt
that it would be safer to go slow and
wait for the opinion of the jury. twas
a matter of two hours before the officer
and his jury arrived, and all had not
vet viewed the body when Mr.. Grafton
and two or three others arrived in an ex-
cited state of mind and announced that
Fritz, the coachman, had been captured,
and had partially confessed to the deed.
This news was, as you may imagine, a
shock to me | had not, in the first
place, heard that the coachman was sus-
pected, although he had gone Off so hur
riedly. Mr. Grafton had utterly refused
TO point the finger of suspicion that way
during our talk in the morning, but had
held to the theory that the cir, had run
off with some giddy companions to lead
a less respectable career. His statement
that Fritz was probably guilty so upset
ILdb Il hCiBb DiOOLc Ia my BONHASN
and gave the jury no hint. The inquest
was adjourned until evening, and was
then resumed at the house while Fritz
was present in charge of an officer. He
had been arrested at town thirty miles
awav, and attention had been first called
to him by his attempt to commit suicide
by drowning. When charged with the
murder he did not deny it. When pres
sed to make a confession he uttered a
groan of despair, and replied:
''Maybe did, for l have been crazy
for three or four days. Let me go and
kill myself ~
When searched few shillings in mo-
ney and a pocketknife and other articles
were found on his person. He was free
of wounds and bruises of any sort, and
no buttons were missing from his gar
ments. Before he was called to face the
Jury I began to grope for the cause of
his flight. 1t could not be for the muir
der of the girl, for he was innocent. 1t
must be on account of information re-
ceived in that foreign letter. / went at
once to his room in the / arm, which no
one had yet examined, and there found
the envelope intact, but the letter torn
into twenty fragments and flung on the
floor. l gathered up the pieces and
pasted them together, and then had the
clue to his actions. 1t was letter from
his mother in Germany, and it contained
two pieces of important news. First,
the mother, who was wild w, had been
robbed of her every dollar by investing
in some wildcat speculation on the ad-
vice of friends; and secondly the girl
whom Fritz expected to return home
and marry in year had been welded to
another.
Fritz was made half crazy by the news,
and his sole desire seemed to be to get
out of the neighborhood as last as pos
sible. The Coroner, Mr. Grafton. and
myself held an interview with him in
pri 7ate The Coroner was an ignoramus,
and he was only too glad to surrender
his official privileges to Grafton, who
eagerly accepted them. 1t was plain
from the start that he meant to catch
poor Fritz in the tolls.
Glow could you do such horrible
thing2" he asked, as we were ready to
proceed. "Tell us all about it."
Fritz began weeping.
''Did you kill Jennie because she re
fused to marry you? Yes, that was the
reason. You lay in wait for her in the
woods"
Fritz kept up sobbing and moaning.
81 am sorry for you, and will do al
can for you, but the law must take its
course. Perhaps the jury will say that
you were crazy, and that you should not
be punished. hope it will, for you are
good man, and 1 don't believe you
knew what you were doing. We'll,
Coroner, have you any doubts of the
prisoners guilt2"
''None, sir"
"And you, Mr.-?"
81 have very serious doubts" I re
Piled.
''Whatl Haven't you been listening
to the examination
"But he has admitted nothing"
"His actions bespeak his guilt a:
plain as day, and we shall now take him
before the jury and press him until he
| admits the murder"
Before Fritz was taken into the room
where the jury were sitting and ma y
spectators assemb ed, Grafton was per-
m1tted to interview him in private fol
half an hour. When questioned before
the jury he said:
81 may be the one. I had q great
trouble come over me, and | don't know
what l did or where / went. If it was
me l am sorry"
On the strength of this the Coroner's
Jury rendered verdict that the CIR
Jennie came to her death at the hands
of Fritz, and he was taken off to Jail
and a warrant swore out. felt certain
that VIII Grafton had killed the girl
and I expected to exhibit my proofs be
fore the iury, but when | saw Grafton
| take the matter into his own hands
realized that he suspected and was pre-
pared to defeat me. The son Will was
present during all the proceedings, ano
| he wore the identical coat from which
the button had been torn. Two of the
servants informed me that he had worr
| the garment right along every day for Sly
months. When | saw that the verdict
of the Coroner's jury was foregone con.
clusion, and that Fritz would be held,
determined to hold my hand unit
proper time. In my report of the cas'
to my superior / simply mentioned tina
Fritz had confessed and been PLACED
under arrest.
On the second day after Fritz haC
been sent to jail Grafton secured an in
terview with him on the excuse of pro
viding him with lawyer. In that in
tie view he secured the following writer
confession:
1 am now quite sure that killed the girl.
got news in a letter which made me lose m,
head and / remember meeting Jennie in tn
woods and thinking she was to blame for al